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A Japanese professor has created a television screen that can produce flavours that taste like food allowing viewers to sample what they see.

Named 'TTTV'

This new prototype, which is in line with the Japanese culture of innovation, is called "Taste the TV".

Its short form name is TTTV.

How it works

How the screen works is nothing too miraculous or out of science fiction, as it involves basic chemistry and combining existing flavour profiles.

The taste on screen is essentially created in a crude way by mixing sprays from 10 flavour canisters to replicate the taste of food as seen on the screen.

The flavour sample is sprayed on a hygienic film over a flat TV screen for the viewer to lick.

The film is disposable.

Allows people to share experiences

The maker, Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita, said a lickable screen technology allows people to have shared experiences in a Covid-19 era: "The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home."

Miyashita works with a team of about 30 students.

They have produced a variety of flavour-related devices, including a fork that makes food taste richer.

He said he built the TTTV prototype himself over the past year.

A commercial version would cost about 100,000 yen (S$1,190) to make.

Potential uses

Potential applications can be endless, judging by how far the Japanese can take a tool and build an entire cottage industry around it.

They include creating food taste samples for curious consumers, providing distance learning for sommeliers and cooks, and even developing arcade games around licking flavours, where the reward is the ability to lick the screen to sample the taste.

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